BI groups to give out 150 Thanksgiving dinners to those in need

By Steven Powell Bainbridge Island Review • November 25, 2020 1:30 am

When Molly Nikunen found out the Bainbridge Sportsmen’s Club wasn’t going to have its holiday dinner this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, she decided to step up.

A volunteer with Island Volunteer Caregivers, she talked with Lynn Murphy of IVC about coordinating a community-wide effort to provide home-delivered Thanksgiving dinners for up to 150 low-income people.

“It’s a big loss,” Murphy said in an interview about the annual sportsmen’s club dinner. “We’re going to pick up where they left off.”

Volunteers shopped, prepared, packaged and delivered the dinners on Thanksgiving.

“At a difficult time for us all, this is a tremendous testimony to the power, generosity and heart of a community,” Murphy said in an email.

Adding to the fun is IVC got in touch with kids and schools so children could make cards for the recipients.

“We called everyone we know who has kids,” Murphy said. “The enthusiasm has just been fantastic.”

She said it’s turned into a huge community event. Other organizations participating are the Bainbridge Island Senior Center; Town & Country Market; St. Cecelia, Eagle Harbor and Grace churches; Ann Pearl Catering; and Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

“It’s a wonderful group of people from the community energized to provide a wonderful feel good project,” Murphy said.

Nikunen said the meals consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, rolls, green beans, cranberries and gravy.

“Nobody’s doing anything this year,” because of COVID, she said, adding if there’s a gap in the future it could be a continuing event.

After this dinner, IVC hopes to begin another new program, “Meals from the Heart.” With it, local restaurants would deliver meals to people in need “to provide a little nutrition, for some variety and surprise to those who can use a little joy during this difficult time. This will also benefit our local businesses who are also struggling through all of this,” Murphy said in another email.